Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion

What you'll study

Coursework develops methods and content knowledge for secondary social studies teaching, covering subjects such as American government, comparative politics, contemporary world affairs from a geographical perspective, educational technology and classroom instruction and management. Students also study literacy strategies for secondary content classrooms and explore the history, principles, problems and philosophy of public education in American society. Program-specific course codes listed include THE-101, EDU-200, EDU-296, EDU-240, EDU-250, PSY-276, EDU-324, EDU-382SS, EDU-382C, EDU-383P, EDU-490, EDU-495, MAT-112, HST-211, HST-212, HST-290, POL-100, POL-232, POL-230, POL-200, GEO-202, ECO-212, ECO-213, BUS-100, MNG-210, MKG-210, ACC-201.

Entry requirements

Admission into the Teacher Education Program requires a formal application and multiple assessments as students progress. Minimum academic standards include a cumulative GPA of 2.75 and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in each teaching major (including teacher education courses). Professional education courses with grades of C- or lower must be repeated. Teacher Education Program assessments include an interview and on-demand reading and writing assessments. Students apply for admission to student teaching a year before the student teaching semester and must maintain the minimum GPAs. Admission to student teaching also requires designing a lesson plan assessed by School of Teacher Education faculty using a rubric.

Career prospects

Graduates are prepared for certification and employment as middle or secondary social studies teachers in Indiana and may pursue related roles such as elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher, counselor, education administrator, instructional coordinator, special education teacher, or tutor. The program culminates in a student teaching semester with a standards-based portfolio, a Teacher Work Sample to demonstrate teaching effectiveness, and a defense interview with a committee of supervising teachers and university faculty.

Scholarships & funding angle

Indiana Wesleyan provides student services and tools to help with success and notes tuition and outcome benchmarks on its site; prospective students should consult IWU’s tuition & fees pages and the net price calculator and inquire about institutional scholarships, financial aid and lower-than-average student-debt outcomes referenced by the university.